ORLANDO, Fla. — There's some welcome news for small business owners and job hunters in Orange County. Orlando is ranked the cheapest city to open up a small business in the country.
Despite the recession, local entrepreneurs say it's a good time to be a business owner in Orange County. Blaine Schulte opened his restaurant, Lubrano's Pizza, in December right across the street from the new Amway Center.
"It's going real well. We're doing real well," he told WFTV.
A new study by BizCosts.com is calling Orlando and Orange County the cheapest place to open up a new business in the country. It's mainly because of the extremely competitive job market; the unemployment rate in Orange County is at a staggering 11.9 percent.
"I actually just hired two employees this past week," Schulte said.
But the study says space for lease is also at historic lows, further helping local business owners.
"There's tons of properties, commercial, rental properties for rent at a very economical cost," said David Brim, CEO, Brand Advance.
Brim is the founder of Brand Advance, a design and marketing firm in Orange County. He's originally from Pittsburgh, but says Orlando was a much better place to open his business.
"Orlando has such a strong support system for companies. At different stages of development, there's different resources," he said.
Plus, the study says local government is starting to try to give incentives to more entrepreneurs, something Schulte says is a good idea.
"If you have a vision, if you have a dream, just do it and make it happen," he said.
BizCosts.com, which did the study, is a national industry provider of business costs that vary from city to city.
WFTV
